Check writing machine



Nov. 21, 1939. ELTER 2,180,446

CHECK WRITING MACHINE Filed Sept. I 27, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 30 INVENTOR.

%/J5 ATTORNEY.

4 Sheets- Sheet 5 BY /%rma/7C Mi /far %/'5 ATTORNEY.

Nov. 21, 1939. wELTER 2,180,446

cnmcx waflme MACHINE Filed Sept. 27, 1937 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

BY f/f (0/7 A /r/;s" ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 21, 1939 alas CHECK WRITING MACHINE Herman C. Welter, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to I Hall-Welter 00., Incorporated, a corporation of New York Application September 27, 1937, Serial No. 165,850

4 7 Claims.

My present invention relates to printing and more particularly to small portable devices, such as are used in business establishments for printing upon the designated line the cash amounts of checks. The invention has more particularly to do with check writing machines of this character in which a plurality of movable printing types are individually adjustable to collectively produce different amount combinations, such individual adjustment of the types being eifected by hand levers or keys that the operator moves to a selected point with the aid of calibrations upon an outside scale. When the types have been so set a platen is brought into engagement therewith through the medium of a general operating member so that the printed act is accomplished in the pre-selected denomination. It is sometimes desired to repeatedly print checks of the same amount and it is at other times desired to change the amount printed on the check between operations.

It is the latter requirement with respect to which the present invention has to do and its general object is to' provide a simple and effective means for restoring the individual types to a zero or neutral position so that after the operating member has performed its function the setting devices will be restored and, as in the previous setting, they may be moved to print a new and different amount when the general operating element is again brought into use.

Referring to the first mentioned condition, in which repeated imprints of checks of the same denomination are desired, after an initial adjustment of the type setting devices, the present improvement does not disturb that procedure because I provide an arrangement whereby the restoring means may be thrown out of operation so that such initial setting can be duplicated or continued to produce any number of checks of the same amount.

Another feature of the invention resides in the fact that I provide such a portable machine with means for causing it to adhere to a desk top, table or other support in such manner that, in the manipulations of the type setting devices and in the manipulations of the main operating means, it will not be displaced and will stand with immobility at the point on such surface upon which it is originally deposited. To these and other ends, the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully explained, the

novel features being pointed out in the claims I at the end of this specification.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a check writing machine constructed in accordance with and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 on the same scale partly broken away and directionally reversed, showing the printing couple in operative position, that is, with the operating handle actuated to produce an impression on the check;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Fig. 4 further broken away but showing the type setting means in a different position of adjustment;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. ,5 but showing the positions of the parts when the operating lever is actuated, Fig. 5 showing the latter in normal position;

Fig, 7 is a detail vertical section through the type shaft showing the action of the spring that returns the resetting device;

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the machine, and.

Fig. 9 is a vertical section from front to rear through the base thereof showing, in comparison with Fig. 2, the action of the vacuum couples in their function of holding the machine to the desk table or other support.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

A known check writing machine to which my present improvements are applicable is disclosed in my prior patent, No. 1,959,185, dated May '15, 1934. The general structure of that machine has been reproduced to some extent in the accompanying drawings and requires description herein only insofar as such description will aid in understanding the additions and improvements that I have now made. In this View and referring more particularly to the drawings and first to Figs. land 2 thereof, l indicates a casing divided by a horizontal slot 2 into a lower base portion 3 and an upper housing or overhanging breast portion 4. The base portion 3 is provided with a table plate 5 constituting the bottom of the slot. In the printing of a check, the latter is laid upon the table, thrust back into the slot and by means of a pivoted back gauge arm 6 positioned so that with the aid of a pivoted line gauge 1 the printing impression through the devices hereinafter described may be accurately placed on the amount line of the check. This is all preliminary explanation and old and familiar to those skilled in the art.

The printing couple is composed, in the present machine, of a plurality of movable types individually adjustable to produce, collectively, different amount combinations as in dollars and cents together with a single platen movable toward and from a printing line on which said types are selectively assembled. The types, in the sectional views, are indicated at 8 upon the peripheries of segments 9 mounted to turn upon a shaft [0, itself immovable in the upper casing 4. Its immobility is secured by an anchor rod ll passing through arms l2 extending from fixed type members l3 pinned to shaft ill at l3. These fixed type members bear such designations as Exactly or corresponding similar characters applicable to presentation in the printing line along with the changeable amount characters.

The platen element of the printing couple is indicated at I5 as being carried on a rock arm l5 pivoted on a shaft I! mounted in the base portion 3. With the rocking of the arm, the platen is carried through an opening it in the table 5 to printing contact with the types 8 and i3 being retracted to the normal operative position of Fig. 3 by means of a spring l9. It is so actuated by a main operating lever 26 that has the normal position of Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 9 and is pulled forwardly by the operator to the depressed position of Figs. 4 and 6 to effect the printing of the check. For this purpose, a toggle connection beginning with an arm 2| pinned to a main op erating shaft 22 on which the operating lever 20 is carried and involving wrist pins 23 and it and a connecting link 25 imparts to the rock arm 16 the necessary printing pressure.

There are other connections beginning with a link 26 whereby the main operating lever and shaft actuate an inking mechanism but this is of no interest to the present invention and elements thereof and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings merely for the purpose of linking up the disclosure with that of applicants beforementioned check writing patent.

The type faces 8 before referred to as carried upon the carrier segments 9 embody successive numerals in the tens, hundreds and thousands digits of dollar designations and also numerals for the required cents digits. They are individually adjusted to collectively form a presentation of the desired amount at the printing point by keys 2! on the projecting ends of arms '28 extending from the carrier segments 9 and operating through slots 29 in the upper casing l, as best disclosed in Fig. 1. Adjacent to the respective slots are scales 30 carrying a like system of numerals and, as will be at once understood, moving an individual key and arm to a corresponding numeral on that scale will bring the desired type numeral into printing position.

The type carriers are individually centered in their positions of adjustment by spring tensioned yielding pawls 3! (Fig. 4) engaging serrations 32 on separate upper segments thereof.

All of the foregoing is merely introductory, as before indicated, to a description and understanding of the mechanism for resetting the type arms 28 and keys 2! to neutral or zero positions after the printing operation. They are shown in this draw bar may be said to float.

such zero positions in Fig. l but Figs. 2 and 4 show them moved forwardly and downwardly to type selecting positions that they occupy while the impression is being made. In the practice of my present invention, I mount freely upon the type shaft iii the arms 33 of a yoke 34- that spans the casing from side to side in the path of the type setting arms 28. It may be of assistance to the reader to here state that in the sectional views no attention is to be paid to the fact that this yoke is shown apparently separate from the arms because, as a matter of fact, it is spot welded thereto and may, therefore, be regarded as an integral extension thereof.

Also pinned to the main operating shaft 22 is a plate or 35 having thereon a pin 36. Pivoted to one of the resetting yoke arms 33 at its forward end by means of a wrist pin 31 is a draw bar 38 adjacent to the right side of the casing l.

Except for the aforesaid wrist pin connection 3?, On the axis of wrist pin 3? is coiled a spring 39 having one end engaging downwardly on the draw bar 38 and the other end engaging downwardly on the resetting'yoke arm 34. It will be obvious that the normal action of this spring is. to press the resetting .yoke through its arm 34 to the lowered inoperative position of Fig. 6 and to at the same time press downwardly the rear end of the draw bar 33 which, unless restrained, rides upon the pin 36.

The said draw bar 38 has a special conformation on its under side. This includes the riding surface it as aforesaid terminating in a shoulder 4!.

As so far described, the mechanism acts as follows: The normal position of the resetting yoke 34 individually is that shown in Fig. 6, namely, it is lowered forwardly below the path of travel of all of the type setting keys and levers 21-23. 1

draw bar 38 tends to hold surface Ml thereof in I the path of pin 36 on plate 35 of operating shaft 22.

It is to be noted at this point that so far as the positive printing operation is concerned nothing happens with respect to the resetting mechanism last described on the mere forward movement of the operating lever 20 that eifects the actual printing. On the other hand, it is the return movement of this operating lever that accomplishes that result.

When the operating lever is brought forward to print, as in Fig. i, with the resetting yoke 34 in the said neutral and normal position of that figure (for the present ignoring Fig. 6), nothing happens except the bringing together of the printing couple. However, when the operating lever starts its return movement, pin 36 on plate 35 of its operating shaft, as shown in Fig. 4, is

lodged in front of shoulder 4|. As operating lever 26 is returned or released, in the one case by the manual movement of the operator, or otherwise by spring I9 hitherto described exerting itself through the toggle connection, thereupon pin 36, moving with it, engages shoulder 4| so held in its path and draws draw bar 38 rearwardly carrying resetting yoke 34 the full distance from the position of Fig. 6 to that of Fig. 5. It engages all of the said type amount levers 28 that have been selectively advanced into its path back 60 the init'ial or neutral position first described.

Of course, it would be impractical toleave restoring yoke 34 in that raised position of Fig. 5 because it would lock the typesetting levers 28 with their keys 2'! against subsequent adjustment forthe writing of the new check. Hence, re-

. setting yoke 34 is automatically given this definite pin 36 a dog 42 in the ,form of an adjustable slotted plate secured by a screw 43 to a flange 44 bent laterally from the said plate, by means of which screw and slotted connection the'dog 42 may be advanced radially from the axis of operating shaft 22. Surface 49 beforementioned on draw bar 38 lies in the path of this dog. The dog's projection, so regulated by screw 43, causes it to engage surface 49 and release it on the return movement of operating lever 2% we de gree that will cause pin 35 on plate 35 to slip out of engagement with shoulder 4! on the draw bar at a sooner or later point. The idea is that this adjustment shall be so made that pin 36 will keep positive contact with shoulder ll on the draw bar until the latter has returned setting levers 28 to just the right point and thereupon totally relieve draw bar 38 from pin 36 so that the latter may ride under shoulder 41 and across an under surface 45 on the rear extremity of the draw bar, thus allowing the latter to return and the resetting yoke 34 to resume its inoperative and neutral position of Fig. 6, the draw bar following it forwardly by reason of the wrist pin'connection therewith at 31. s

It is to be noted at this point that a function of spring 39 is also to hold the rear end of draw bar 38 downwardly in the intermediate operation so as to keeppin 36 in contact with surface 40 and shoulder 4| until dog 42 through its own contact with surface 49 releases pin 35 from shoulder 4 l.

As earlier stated in connection with the objects of this invention, it is sometimes desired to repeatedly print a number of checks of the same denomination, as for instance, in a simple illustration, where a number of employees are being given a pay check of the same amount, say, $25. In that case, it is obvious that the operator should not be required to reset the amount keys 2'! back to $25 after printing each check but should be allowed repeated actuation of the main operating lever to produce on 'successivechecks replication of the same amount as may be required.

To take care of this, I provide a simple means for rendering the resetting yoke 34 inoperative at the Will of the operator by temporarily holding draw bar 38 out of all, contact with the operatingmechanism whereby resetting yoke 34 remains under the influence of spring 39 and otherwise retains its normal or inoperative position of Fig. 6. This consists, in the present instance, of a stud 46 (Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 6) mounted to turn in a wall of the upper casing 4 on the right side of the machine adjacent the operating lever 23. EXteriorly, it is provided with a finger piece 4! by means of which it may be adjusted by the operator between the position of Fig. 5 and that Of Fig. 6. On the interior, it has a laterally and inwardly'turned detent 48 adapted to engage over an outwardly turned-flange 49 on the upper rear end of draw bar 38. The action is'as follows: I

Where a resetting of the keys is desired, after each adjustment of the type elements, finger piece 41 is tilted forwardly, as in Fig. 5, throwing detent 48-entirely out of action. On the other hand, when the said repetitions of printing are to occur, finger piece 41 is rocked rearwardly to the position of Fig. 6. Thereupon, when draw bar 33 is carried forwardly with the other parts on the first printing operation, fiange49 will ride on this detent 48, as shown, and hold the rear end of the draw bar elevated so that on the return movement of operating lever 20, operating shaft 22 and plate 35 fixed to the latter, neither pin 36 on said plate nor dog 42 will have any function whatever. -In other words, pin 36, more importantly, will not engage shoulder H" and hence the draw bar 38 will not go into action to operate yoke 34 at all. Y

I have hitherto described the spring 39 on the v wrist pin connection 31 between resetting yoke 34 and its actuating draw bar 38 as performing the dual function of urging the yoke to inoperative or normal position and holding the draw bar in contact with its own actuating devices assembled uponthemain-operating unit; Of course,'this spring action occurs and has its applicational force only upon one'side of the resetting yoke, that is, on one of the arms 34. I prefer to provide additional spring means for returning the resetting yoke to initial position, said means being applied to theother arm 34 on the opposite side of the casing and'tending to not only augment the spring action but to balance it. This additional springmeans', in the present instance, consists of a leaf spring one end of which is held by a screw or other fastening device 5| and proceeds down the left outer side of such opposite yoke arm 34, is bent through an opening'52 in the latter and thence on the inner side of the arm engages a hub 53 on one of the fixed printing elements !3 onshaft l9. 4 Such hub for this purpose has a flattened surface 54. Bearing in mind that the detail View of this comprised by Fig. 7 is directionally reversed from. the assembled structures of Figs. 5 and 6, the resulting function is that, when theoperating lever 20 on the return of its printing movement through draw bar 38 raises yoke 34 by positive actuation, it energizes this spring 50 byrocking it over the flattened hub bar- 138 from the engagement of pin 35 against shoulder 4!, this last described spring 50 assists and also has an individual action in returning the yoke 34 to the said normaldotted line position of Fig. '7.

Hand lever operated check writing machines of the character above described as portable ofiice business machines are naturally made as light as possible and yet in the fabrication thereof, I plan to give the operator as much mechanical advantage as pcssible in manipulating the prime movement lever 20. To prevent the organized machine from being displaced on the desk or similar surface while subject to use, I also provide means for causing it to adhere to such supporting surface through agencies additional to its normal weightand gravitational contact. To this end, I provide suction cups on the base of the machine that apply themselves in the following manner:

' In Figs. 2 and 9 are shown on the bottom of the base member 3 and hence on the bottom of the entire casing a plurality of semi-hard rubber feet 55 that are relied upon to engage the supporting surface and sustain the machine in the ordinary manner. However, adjacent to each of these feet, I add rubber suction cups 56 also secured to the under side of the casing but of such proportions as shown in Fig. 9 that they normally project beyond the contact ends of feet 55. Hence when the machine, without particular intent, is deposited upon a plane surface, the vacuum cups 56 will first make contact, spread and adhere to this surface. Thereafter, as the cups are so motivated in their function, the harder rubber feet 55 will take the main contact and themselves maintain the weight of the machine. In other words, the feet 55 support the machine in the main but the vacuum cups 56 contribute such additional frictional contact that even though the operating pressure through the handle of operating lever is administered wholly on one side of the machine the vacuum cups Will prevent the latter from slewing around or altering its position beyond the desired position in which it faces the operator.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a check writing machine, the combination with a printing couple embodying a plurality of movable types individually adjustable to produce, collectively, different amount combinations, a platen movable toward and from a printing line on which said types are so assembled and a plurality of operating keys for said types selectively movable out of alinement with one another to effect such amount combinations on the said printing line, of means for so operating the platen, a resetting device for the keys adapted to restore them to a neutral position and comprising a yoke, a spring normally maintaining said yoke in an inoperative set position, a draw bar pivoted to the yoke and having a shoulder, a rocking element on the operating means adapted to engage the shoulder and to actuate the yoke against the tension of its spring, and a device on the rocking element adapted, upon the return of the operating element, to lift the draw bar from engagement with the rocking element and permit the return of the yoke.

2. In a check writing machine, the combination with a printing couple embodying a plurality of movable types individually adustable to produce, collectively, different amount combinations, a platen movable toward and from a printing line on which said types are so assembled and a plurality of operating keys for said types selectively movable out of alinement with one another to efiect such amount combinations on the said printing line, of means for so operating the platen, a resetting device for the keys adapted to restore them to a neutral position and comprising a yoke, a spring normally maintaining said yoke in an inoperative set position, a draw bar pivoted to the yoke and having a shoulder, a rocking element on the operating means adapted to engage the shoulder and to actuate theyoke against the tension of its spring, and a device on the rocking element adapted, upon the return of the operating element, to lift the draw bar from engagement with the rocking element and permit the return of the yoke, said device being adjustable on the rocking element to control the point at which the draw bar is so lifted.

3. In a check writing machine, the combination with a printing couple embodying a plurality of movable types individually adjustable to produce, collectively, difierent amount combinations, a platen movable toward and from a printing line on which said types are so assembled and a plurality of operating keys for said types selectively movable out of alinement with one another to effect such amount combinations on the said printing line, of means for so operating the platen, a resetting device for the keys adapted to restore them to a neutral position, and comprising a yoke, a spring normally maintaining said yoke in an inoperative set position, a draw bar pivoted to the yoke, a device on the operating means arranged to temporarily engage the draw bar and then slip ofi from and release the same, and a device operable from the exterior of the machine for holding the draw bar out of the path of the device on the operating means, said device consisting of a detent and the draw bar being provided with a track with which the device last mentioned may be moved into and out of engagement.

4. In a check writing machine, the combination with a printing couple embodying a plurality of movable types individually adjustable to produce, collectively, different amount combinations, a platen movable toward and from a printing line on which said types are so assembled and a plurality of operating keys for said types selectively movable out of alinement with one another to effect such amount combinations on the saidprinting line, of means for so operating the platen, a resetting device for the keys adapted to restore them to a neutral position, and comprising a yoke, two springs normally maintaining said yoke in an inoperative set position, a draw bar pivoted to the yoke, and a device on the operating means arranged to temporarily engage the draw bar and then slip off from and release the same, one of said springs being arranged to act between the draw bar and the yoke at one end of the latter and the other being arranged to act between the yoke and the type mounting.

HERMAN C. WELTER. 

